Its a great way to get your kids ready for a life of exhaustion, cheap drugs and joyless sex with women paid to make you feel the illusion of love!

You didn't read close enough. They're run by the "Godson of Rock and Roll" who says he was handed the title by the Godfather the day before said sleazy nightclub owner died. Given the obvious integrity of everyone involved in this slightly pathetic origin story, I see absolutely no reason to doubt its authenticity.

"We also extend offers of participation in additional high profile press events for those who have the talent ***and resources*** to become celebrities in the fields of music, television and film."

Emphasis added. So, what, I take it this is kind of like that Hollywood Talent Manager scam Nick Bravo got himself involved in, only for wannabe musicians? Pay the LA Music Awards guys enough money, and they'll blow smoke up your ass?

Addendum:

When the Godfather was still alive, they had viable acts. They seemed to once be a place where people were saying either hello or goodbye to their careers, but that was decades ago. It looks like it's devolved into a place for rich Italians to execute their PR schemes.

Oh, John.

A BrokeNCYDE ripoff? You must be kidding good sir!

Oh, John.

If they're kids though, developing the chops is probably the best thing they can do. How many people under 18 have anything original to say and share? At that age so much of the new, exciting things you're learning and feeling for the first time are so common to the human experience that their old cliches deeply explored by rock and roll that you can dozens of near perfect expressions of it. Once they begin to grow up and branch out and develop your identity, that's when you can begin to add to the great body of music out there, and those kids will be well served by the chops they've developed.

Of course, a lot of them will end up as AC/DC cover bands 'cause original stuff is really damn hard.

THEY'RE old cliches. Shit, why do I only proofread after I've hit post?

Shit I got red marker all on my monitor for nothing :)

(yeah poeTV could use an edit option)

you're right, and rock stars that actually DO have something interesting to contribute (Bright Eyes, Zola Jesus, Wavves, Red Kross etc.) are pretty few and far between. And for every one of those there's a 15 year-old like Bieber or Swift whose lyrics come out of a think tank. But maybe a think tank wouldn't be such a bad idea: some of my favorite songs when I'm 33 still pertain to how much of a loser/stoner I was in high school, like Archers of Loaf or Pavement, universal themes like that, so a little bit of lyric "coaching" and songwriting could mean that these lil' rockstars could get the Biebs treatment from a mentor who actually knows rock and roll, has a couple of ideas that they can pass along.

What's weird is right after I wrote that I was talking to this guy who's in a Turbonegro tribute band.. I was never super into Turbonegro but know enough about them that I can probably sing along.. anyway their shows regularly sell out, since Turbonegro never tours and I never got to see them with the original singer. He writes his own stuff too but those shows are a lot more lucrative and probably more fun.